The HUB of Tianna Camp; the Computer Room was completely blocked off recently to prevent any outsiders from destroying the things keeping everybody alive in the facility. From Central Tower's Preon Hospital and tunnel, it came out in areas made in the last 30 years into a long hallway...

The two Preons, followed by Reala and the two Watchmen, came in from [Central Tower]. The Preons simply dragged the dying one that now appeared dead down the hall way. There were several areas here and there with small fences with dead Preons, and two larger ones where two dead Reploids lie. They were in a Graveyard, appropriately located next to the hospital. Why it came first instead of the Hospital escaped Reala. The Preons dragged the dying Reploid to an empty fenced area and left it there and stood silent. It made no sounds of beeping or anything, paying a moment of silence to the seemingly now dead Preon.

"These Preons are an odd model. None of them are in my records or database. Most look hundreds of years old while several look recently deceased. The two Reploids are identified; one is an old Model New Generation Reploid known and embedded into Japanese and Taiyohese history as Elzareth while the next body is a blank Reploid with several objects such as a Scimitar, a saber identified as a Model 75 Reverse Saber carried by the creations of Dr. S." Delta said.

"Reverse... Model R...?" Reala asked hersefl.

"... Murderers." Vent said coldly as he drew his Ice Halberd and advanced towards the Preons.

"Vent, hold it."

The Chosen One halted with a puzzled look. "What? Why, Model Z?"

"Those two Reploids were deceased long before Chiba could have taken over this facility." Model X responded in the red Biometal's behalf. "One of them looks like... Model R's original form."

"... What?" Vent lowered his weapon, although he kept a tight grip on it. "What does this mean?"

[From Central Tower]

"You're right..." Model ó said solumnly. "Was this his final resting place...?"

"What are you going on about?" Vince asked, confused somewhat by his Biometal's words.

"Sometime during the previous war about 200 years ago," Model ó began, "there was a year with little development on either of the major sides. During this time, I fought R and bested him."

"Is that what Model R was talking about when we first saw him?" Vince asked.

"Yes," Model ó replied. "I managed to beat him in combat using the full extent of my Valor form. But after the battle, he disappeared."

"And what about that other old model Reploid?" Vince asked.

"Elzareth... God knows how his body got here. He was a powerful criminal and a Maverick, and one that would not stay down long enough. I still don't know why he wasn't terminated when he was finally caught. He was too dangerous a threat to contain, and he escaped. . . I have no idea why his body would be..."

There was a pause as the Biometal thought for a moment. Model ó finally spoke again, with urgency in his voice!

"Vent! And Model X and Model Z! When you fought Chiba back at the ruins, you said he was able to utilize his transforming ability, right?!"

"Studies of the Copy Chip Model CK-857 showed that when a Reploid dies, it forcibly reverts back to it's true self unless Chiba managed to graft DNA onto a Reploid successfully recreating it's powers and shape. Experiments such as this in Taiyoh with copied DNA using a beta-version of a Modern day chip resulted in the death of a human and/or Reploid. This is either the real Elzareth and Reverse, or it is a copy. I calculate an 51.34% that it is a copy as Chiba Masato is adept in Copying and DNA merging." Delta said in regards to the bodies.

"So, for all we know, this is the real redeemed murderer Elzareth or it's a cheap knock off... Chibi Musashi was always a lying fool..." Reala said.

Hiruzen and Haku looked. They knew some about Elzareth but not R. Reala and Delta looked over at R.

"This Scimitar however is similar to one used by a Reploid of old. It was a female Reploid named Jfgjlhk~kzzt, whom was believed to have died during the Ragnarok incident. Delta said in regards to the odd area where the Mega Man R blank body lies.

The two Preons stopped praying and made several beeping noises. Other Preons who were still jumped up no longer looking dead. There was an additional 4 Preons added to the group now. They hopped over to the Mega Men as well as Reala and the Watchmen. One was brown and looked at Vent.

"NAME: ISAMU NOBUYUKI - BASE. YOUR NAME: CONFIRM?" it said in a robotic tone.

It was odd to Delta as Preons didn't speak. "Well, another speaking Preon..." Hiruzen said. Hiruzen leaned over to Vent's ear and whispered "Do not mention 'metal' at all... Trust us on this." he said.

Reala looked around the room. It was a long room full of many Preons. There was one area that looked odd. It was blank but it showed signs of several Reploids being there. It had footprints showing a Reploid getting up and leaving multiple times as if it died several times and got up again.

"... Then how about I say this instead:"

In response to Hiruzen, Vent picked up Model Z with his free hand.

"Model ZX! Megamerge!"

Transformed again, Vent faced the inquisitive Preon with his ZX-Saber on hand.

"Why don't you shut up and get out of our way before I cut you down!"

"That scimitar... You're right. That's her's... Chiba. It really was to mu----" Model ó tried to say. But the Preon suddenly talking and Vent's irritated reaction broke his concentration. "The hell? Did it just call itself 'Isamu Nobuyuki?' Is Chiba naming this things after his old comrades?!"

The Biometal and the detective sighed simultaneously. They really had to move on, which was evident in Vent's irritable state.

"Vince. Take the two weapons," Model ó spoke.

"Huh? Why?" the detective asked.

"They are remnants of a forgotten traumatic era," Model ó told the detective. "They were the weapons of Chiba's closest companions. One, a leader and friend. Another, a lover and lifelink. I want to remind him of what their sacrifices meant and what these blades stood for."

The detective sighed. "Alright, if you say so, Model Omicron." Vince ran over to the R-Saber and the scimitar and picked them up before anyone could stop them. He stuck them onto his belt.

---------

OOC: Random act of grave-robbing brought to you by yours truly.

"HOSTILE ENEMY. RETREAT." the Preons stated before hopping away towards the next door.

Reala looked at Vent's sudden outburst. "Still just a kid..." she said before looking at the Preons as they scurried down the hall. Delta watched the entire thing unfold.

"The saber and scimitar both appear to be genuine artifacts but whether or not they work is unknown as they have been lying there for a while. As for the Preons, it's possible that Chiba named talking Preons after deceased comrades for the purpose of filling in either a gap, easing a pain or merely for communication with a familiar name. This makes it slightly more likely that it was Chiba who wrote the writing on the ceiling." Delta spoke.

Reala scoffed at the thought. "Well, no point loligagging in this place. Sungen knows what would..." Reala said. Delta made a small beeping noise. "Vent, Vince, if you wouldn't mind me asking, what is your goal in life?" Delta asked with an out of the blue question.

Hiruzen and Haku heard the question and grew curious as well but they soon shook the thought and ran down the long hallway. There were windows here and there. Some showed a darkness while one above them displayed what seemed to be a fully developed room. There, it was spotted that there was either two Reploids or Humans up there; one was a female while the other was a little boy.

OOC: I don't recall the presence of windows in Tianna Camp beyond the prison cells.

------

Vent quirked an eyebrow at the Preon's reaction, and a question emerged in his mind: why was Chiba producing Mechaniloids that refused to fight?

He faced Reala with an annoyed look; he was getting more and more tired of her attitude and constant criticism. He was about to give both the girl and her A.I.a much needed comeback - when the Watchmen made their move.

"Darn it-- wait you two!" Vent immediately dashed after them; who knows what those two would be getting themselves into...

"What...? What kind of question is that at a time like this?!" the detective responded amidst the continually increasing confusion. He was becoming quite infuriated at Reala's treatment of Vent and himself, but before he could make any statements, the question was asked, and the Watch-out-men disappeared down the hallway! And they were followed by Vent right after, leaving Vince and Reala in the dust...

"... If you must know," Vince said, feeling little choice but to satisfy the AI's curiosity for the time being, "I became a detective, or specifically a private investigator, to maintain peace; to put criminals behind bars and to destroy Mavericks where other law enforcement failed. When I became a Mega Man... I decided to use this power to that end as well. Only on a deeper level." He then turned and looked at Reala and the source of her AI partner.

"A mass murderer got his hands on a Model W a long time ago. He was the instigator of a number of Maverick raids for the sake of feeding that abomination. I lost my family in one of those raids 20 years ago. And he was the cause of a Maverick raid at Cinq Ville's Amusement Park 10 years ago. When I found out about it, I worked to expose him, but to no avail. Just several months ago, though, Vent was one of the two Chosen Ones that managed to stop him."

He paused for a moment. "The point I'm making is that there are criminals and madmen who wish to use Biometals for evil. I suppose my goal in life is to help end the Game of Destiny and prevent these criminals from causing suffering. I suppose you could say it's similar to the mission the two of you have been given."

OOC: Well, it was a recently added to give it two rooms instead of the one massive room it had.

----------

"I see. I apologize but it was a mission assigned to me to try and understand the value of human and Reploid life to further assist.. Being pure logic split from a central AI, I am able to learn but have insufficient data to formulate an answer. I assure you that this question is not fueled by emotions as I am unable to express them. It's a shame Vent seems to be a little too riled up and I fear that he may become dangerous for the sake of the mission. I do apologize for Reala's actions so far. I would explain why but she prevents me from explaining myself." Delta said to Vince.

Reala scoffed. "I have reasons that I'll share given the circumstances of the event. Right now, we need to make sure the Model W goes down." she said checking her rifle before looking down the long hall seeing the Watchmen and Vent further ahead.

"Well, Reala is odd. I'm unsure if she is our contact but she's the only one from Taiyoh in the area... Nevertheless, we need to extract what data we can from Chiba since he seems to be a goldmine and the target. After, we need to make contact with the demon woman." Hiruzen exchanged with Haku as they slowly proceeded down the hallway, looking at the various places. Further ahead was more Reploids.

Two lined up with one space with a shoulder pad. They were completely stripped of armour and synthetic skin as if to hide the identity or they were found like this, while the shoulder pad had a Yellow "K". Flipping it and the remaining space would reveal a red "Sigma". It was a teal-based shoulder pad. Back in the larger room, Reala looked at her arm. The skin was exposed on her left forearm which had a tattooed barcode. She just realized now she removed that armour piece.

OOC: If you're going to make any aesthetic changes, you should point them out in your posts.

------

Upon hearing the exchange, Vent immediately blocked the Watchmen's path. Though the Chosen One did not ignore his surroundings, the Watchmen had not yet given him room to think about it.

"What are you talking about?" Vent glared at Hiruzen. "I thought you came to get Model R back."

"Hmph. You have no idea what Vent and I have been through the past 24 hours," Vince responded to the AI and Reala. "If you did, you would understand how the both of you and your know-it-all attitudes are trying our patience."

The detective Chosen One said nothing more as he turned and proceeded down the hallway, confused as to why Vent had now blocked the Watchmen's path...

OOC: Well, since it is a new area... But ehn, sorry.

----------

"We are. We're just hoping to get some data on things we've yet to discover to make it easier on us." Haku said no longer cold.

Meanwhile...

"I have an idea given what the Watchmen said has happened. You don't know what I've been through so you're in the same boat as I. Except I'm not attacking anything I find. Try getting tossed into a military program at age 4 then tossed into a war at age 6 then I'll begin sympathizing with Vent." Reala said as Vince walked away.

"It appears that Vince is starting to get agitated as well. This could pose multiple problems such as increased hostility towards the unknowns who could possess data relevant to the mission. Be prepared to fend off a preemptive strike as both Mega Men could attack out of the sheer need to release anger." Delta said.

"... Delta, it's kinda unnecessary to say that..." Reala said.

"I said it as to let Vince know my thoughts. This aggression could pose problems." Delta stated.

"... Know-it-all? Not really... But annoying? Yes. Delta, observe." Reala said.

Delta made a beeping noise before the hologram disappeared. Reala merely broke out into a jog to catch up to Vent and the Watchmen.

OOC: Reaction post.

------

"It's hard to sympathize with someone who would sacrifice her own comrades for the sake of a mission," Vince replied to Reala. He had not forgotten the the exchange between her, Delta, and Fleuve. "Tell me. How many relationships have you had? How attached are you to your comrades? Do you even feel remorse for those you kill? Or for those that died fighting alongside you?"

Vince paused for a moment.

"I may not have seen war. But I've fought a personal war for twenty years. I've seen hate. I've seen crime. I've seen murder. I've personally experienced a Maverick raid. I found my parents' bodies mangled in the rubble. My little sister died in my arms. And to learn that they were sacrifices to feed a blasted machine and a madman's ambition! It may not have been a true war, but it sure as hell was a war I fought, and a war I've suffered through. I'm sure Vent would give you a similar response."

OOC: Especially if it's a new area, Arby; this is an actual environment from the games, so those who played Command Mission will have a fixed idea of what the place is supposed to be like. That makes describing changes all the more important.

------

"... I can't promise you'll get the chance." Vent responded without changing his tone. "And last I checked, I told you guys to stick with us. You didn't complain back then, so you'd better stick to your word now."

Barring any further interjection, Vent turned his attention to the surrounding area, walking back to the window where he had seen the woman and child. Were they alive? In a place like this?!

The sight brought Vent memories of his mother and a glimmer of hope. But at this point, he wasn't sure of what to expect anymore; it could be another trick from Chiba... but the only way to know for sure was by finding a way inside. With that in mind, the Chosen One looked for the nearest door.

OOC: Reaction post to OM. Or not really since the posting got switched. Ehn. Also; Yes, I kno. After this area however, it starts in the maze-like area where Rafflesian could be found and then they need to proceed upwards to where you actually start the level.

-----------------

"..." Reala paused. She tapped a button on her shoulder pads. "Delta, is the signal scrambled?" she asked.

Delta beeped up again.

"Yes. It is impossible to contact anybody from where we are. It seems the Model W is scrambling the signals." Delta said.

Reala nodded. She turned to look at Vince, no longer walking. "That may be our protocol, but I do not support it at all. I have to. I was forced into war because back in my time, war orphans were common. Lots of orphans who held hatred for the enemy country were picked up includ I, and we were drilled into following that protocol. For the sake of Taiyoh since we were in danger of total annihilation. Approximately two years ago as one of the SAI Soldiers, somebody I knew from the start went down, I lost the ability to dehumanize and learned what the hell I was doing. The only redeeming part to the entire ordeal was I learned how to fight and we destroyed over five Model W's. As of now, my own comrades are barely holding. I'm glad your second-in-Command, or at least Vent's, second in command denied helping us. Now this eradicates any chances of other SAI Soldiers, others who aren't as sympathetic or able to realize what we've done from making an alliance. IF anything, I just did both sides a favor. I can't get any other countries involved in Taiyoh's troubles." Reala said, seemingly hinting at another problem.

She turned around and looked down the hall at Vent and the Watchmen.

"We're honoring our agreement. Not like we attempted to run away. We've only got two Blasters." Hiruzen said.

He shook his head and removed his mask. "God, should have taken this off a while ago." He said. Haku followed suit. Further ahead, the Watchmen saw a door seemingly leading into the other room they saw. (OOC: Also where the actual Giga City entrance is supposed to be.) Hiruzen walked slowly before the boy vanished from the windows view. He burst out of the door ahead, pushing a small toy truck and was busy making noises. He wore a shirt and hat made out of newspaper.

"Will you guys wait for once?!"

Vent shouted as the Watchmen took the initiative; they were really pushing their luck.

The Chosen One paused as he came across the child, withdrawing his weapon. He honestly did not know what to make of this.

Vince didn't say another word to Reala. What could he say...? He noted that it sounded like Taiyoh was in some sort of mess... And yet, the detective was still irritated. He knew the soldier's life was harsh, but... It was still irritating for her to interfere with their mission. He would have asked further if Model W had ever tried sucking her soul out, but that would just be childish one-upping. And on top of that, the Watchmen...

Oh God, those two were irritating...! They seemed to be ignoring Vent. The detective broke into a brisk walk and hurried after Vent and into the other room. He gawked as he saw the child that was ahead. He stopped next to Vent and observed the bizarre find for a moment before speaking.

"Vent... I didn't drink anything last night, did I?"

The child stopped and looked at the crowd amassing outside of the room. He stared without blinking and seemingly, without a single visible movement on his body before he turned the small truck and rolled it towards the group and ran back into the room.

"Well, what better thing to do than talk to them... With caution of course." Reala said.

She let go of her rifle, letting it dangle over her shoulder to decrease intimidation as she walked casually down the hallway and stepped over the truck. She peeked her head into the room to see it covered in News Paper and there was more than just the woman and the small child in there. There was countless Preons making crafts and all kinds of things out of newspaper and across the room, it was visible... There was another elevator right there. The woman stood in front of several stacks of Newspaper.... All folded into various shapes. The small child clinged onto the leg of the woman as the woman was gnawing on an apple looking down. The Preons in the room were all modified; each without weapons except for one standing in the back looking at the elevator with a small water pump attached to his arm. The Watchmen leaned back against the walls and examined their blasters.

"Well, at least it's not a cold, machine world down here... But it does beg the question of WHY..." Hiruzen said.

Reala merely stood at the door as the woman looked up finally and took notice of Reala.

Vent was speechless at the sight of Preons committing themselves to seemingly trivial tasks with a woman and a child in the middle of it all. He advanced slowly, keeping an eye on the Preons as he neared the two individuals...

"... What's going on here...?"

Vince was equally speechless. The oddities seemed like they would never end! It was like going to the circus! Or rather the fun-house in a circus, if said circus was 1000 leagues below sea. There was a woman who seemed to spend her time folding newspapers into different shapes. And there was a kid here. The apple meant there was clearly a food supply here. Who knew how long these civilians had been here? Or were they civilians? Were they more of Chiba's pawns? Or...

"Did Chiba kidnap these people?"

The woman heard what Vince said. "Kidnap? That's not really his nature. Although he did hold a piece of Hexagonal Metal hostage for six days before claiming it was take over everybody." the woman said.

"Hexagonal Metal" seems to be Force Metal... Nobody here seemed to know what the proper Force Metal name is. Her sentence ended oddly...

"..." the small boy said nothing before letting go slowly. He then turned and ran over to a Preon that was attempting to draw with the stubby arms that replaced it's machine guns. The only Preon's here that didn't seem to change is the Doctor/Nurse model of the Preons that simply healed a Preon every now and then. The nurse obviously detected damage but it wasn't visible. Reala stepped into the room itself and looked at the woman. The small boy began drawing on a blank sheet of paper.

"... Hello... What is your name?" Reala asked the woman.

"Hikari. Aki Hikari." the woman said.

Reala paused. "I've heard that name..." she said to herself.

Aki looked over at the boy. "But I'm called 'Auntie Aki' here. That's Billy." Aki said as she finished a newspaper Airplane.

Billy piped up as he stopped drawing. "My bro is named Elzar! He wears a Slither Inc. uniform and got a small patrol job outside Giga City. He said he was going to teach me how to whistle. He does than often out of boredom and I never could get the habit!" Billy said in sheer excitement.

Reala looked at Billy. Hiruzen and Haku stayed silent, not speaking for some reason.

"... Nice to meet you." Vent said to the boy with a confused look before shifting his attention back to the woman. "... Anyway, what in the world are you two doing here? Don't you know this place is dangerous?"

Vince felt a sting in his chest at young boy's words. The person he described as his "bro" fit the appearance of the Reploid they had fought outside in the depths.What was such an innocent child doing here?!

"Aki Hikari?" Model ó spoke. "Surely she's not the same one... Did Chiba give these people names, too?" Before Vince could ask what his Biometal meant, Model ó continued to explain. "That was the name of another old comrade of his from the same era."

Vince decided to stay silent, though. Vent had already asked the question he wanted to ask, so the detective merely waited for an answer.

"It's dangerous only if you give in to the urges." Aki said towards Vent, obviously hinting at the fact that Model W feeds on them given the "circumstances".

"As for the name? No. I was born with the name." she said towards Vince.

She then finished folding one final Newspaper, this time into the fold Newspapers are given before opening it. The date dated back to around 40 years ago and it was in Taiyohese. Billy finished his drawing of a tall brown Reploid with brown shaggy hair. It was an extremely messy drawing. He wrote "CIBI" on it, obviously a mispelling of Chiba's name and he tacked it on a wall where other projects were hung, often depicting a battle of some sorts or depicting a person. They seemed to all be done by the Preons and Billy based on stories told by Chiba as there was a crater of a large city and a giant laser from the sky, a clear reference to Neo Arcadia and Ragnarok.

"Well, if you need help, I can have a Preon show you around." Aki offered, still reading the ancient newspaper.

OOC: Do you have a single character who can't hear a Biometal's voice?

------

"... It can't be..." Model X said in surprise, but Vent was quick to interrupt.

"... You've got to be kidding." Vent responded in repulse to the proposal. "Do you even know who's making these Preons or what's down here?!"

OOC: I heard that the issue was sorted out so...

--------------------

Vince blinked irritably. This woman had heard Model ó. Not that he was completely surprised by this point given the amount of Chosen Ones they've encountered lately, as well as the other bizarre instances concerning this mission. He was equally confused by the offer to be lead by a Preon. He noticed the odd drawings Billy had tacked to the wall, but didn't know what to make of it. Model ó came to a quick conclusion as to what the simplistic illustrations represented... This was yet another layer of icing on top of a cake of incredible absurdity which was this mission.

"At this point," the Biometal spoke, "I'm not surprised by anything. I don't think she's kidding..."

"The Preons? Dubpar. Salvaged for the purpose of maintaining the facility, otherwise the 13 of us in Giga City would be overrun with tasks. These cute little things also manage to lighten the mood. They're kind of like pets." Aki said as she turned the page.

On the newspaper itself, it depicted the Emperor of Taiyoh and a person with a blurred face shaking hands with what looked to be Kiriyama and an almost mint condition Chiba Masato. The headline was "BREAKTHROUGH IN REPLOID DESIGN". Billy stared at Vince and scribbled a quick drawing before placing it alongside another drawing... It depicted a blonde Reploid with an Omicron symbol, or a Preon/Billy's attempt at an Omicron. It was showing Omicron, Chiba, and several others on a bridge facing a giant three headed figure while Billy's new drawing was more detailed given that Vince himself looked similar to Omicron. This time, Billy just drew a profile image of Vince MEGA Merged.

"Well, nevertheless..." Aki said with a now seemingly dazed look in her eye... "I can lend you a Datalog." she said as she knocked on a gauntlet of a Reploid.

A datalog was the common Personal Computer of Reploids in old Japan. There were three, a pink one, a purple one, and an orange one similar to Chiba's, even sharing it's colour scheme. Reala merely looked at the scene. The drawings of the Preons and Reploids all struck as odd and alien to Reala. She didn't recognize any of the characters depicted, probably because she never checked. She eyed the newspapers, realizing that all of the ones folded were a gold mine of info on Taiyoh and noticed something. Three newspapers stood out...

"Neo Tokyo Daily..." Reala said as the title of the paper was in English. She read the other ones... "New Hera Star and New Hera Sun... Neo Tokyo is way before... It's in Japan's timeline while New Hera... I keep hearing that name..." Reala said as she walked over and looked at these ancient newspapers. They were somehow preserved but not entirely.

"... Sorry, but I'm not falling for that. I don't know why these Preons are acting weird here, but a whole bunch of them attacked me back in the surface."

Vent held onto the ZX-Buster again, but did not point at a particular target; rather, it was a gesture to emphasize his point and stress his readiness for anything.

"And I don't have time for this." The Mega Man Model ZX stepped forward in a defiant posture. "We know about Chiba and the Model W he's keeping here. If we leave them alone, more people will be hurt and I'm not going to let that happen. I don't know why you're here or why Model W didn't eat you, but I promise I'm coming back to help you two after I take care of it."

Vince himself was slowly becoming unnerved by the child's doodling. What he depicted appeared to be Model ó's original form... Did Chiba tell stories of the Biometal's exploits? He forced himself to return his attention to the issue at hand.

"Model Omicron," he spoke aloud. "Can you tell by their auras if she's lying or not?"

"Not really," the Biometal spoke. "I'm not a mind reader. We can only assess their emotional levels. At the moment, she seems calm. But I can't tell if she's lying or not."

After Vent continued speaking, Vince suddenly became worried about something. The detective then addressed Vent, concerned suddenly by what he just said.

"Wait a second... What would happen to this place once Model W is destroyed? I mean, Slither Inc.'s Control Center wasn't exactly structurally sound when we went in there," he pointed out. "Would they even be safe?" he asked in regards to the strange, possibly deranged individuals residing here.

Billy stopped doodling and stared at the Mega Men.

"If you wan, I can show you around 'cuz the Preons don't seem to be your favorite." Billy said. "I know m'ways around this facility greatly... One of the best 'cuz I have lotsa free time." Billy said.

Reala ignored the offer and walked over, picking up a newspaper. She examined something on Chiba in the image of the Taiyoh newspaper.

"It appears Chiba lent his body and mind to research and this spawned modern Reploids in Taiyoh... However, located in this image appears to be the Model R visible. It's appearance is different and larger as if it was a prototype." Delta said looking at the newspaper. Hiruzen and Haku waited.

"We don't have much time... I'm feeling really lightheaded and dizzy and..." Haku complained.

It appeared Haku was starting to suffer from Model W... Hiruzen didn't catch this as he hadn't gone up against a Model W before. Reala however spotted this and merely wondered if the Mega Men would notice. She still read the article on the newspaper. Aki however stared at Vent as she turned the page on a Newspaper.

"Okay." she said as she gave Vent a warm smile. "Just don't kill Chiba... No matter the reason, murder is always wrong." Aki said as she began reading an article about sports.

Reala stopped reading the Newspaper and put it on the pile.

"... Murder is wrong, huhn..." She said to herself, quietly.

She turned and did a quick arm stretch. "I make no promises..." Reala said in a lighter tone.

"... Tell that to Serpent." Vent responded dryly to the woman, then shifted his attention to the Watchman. Something struck his mind: headaches and numbness. The last record from the recon unit that originally researched Model W mentioned these symptoms before they were vanquished by Serpent.

Vent put away the ZX-Buster again and approached Haku. He wrapped his arm around the man's torso and turned his attention to Vince. He would have answered the detective's query, but this development caused him to withhold it.

"Vince, we have to get these guys out of here like, right now." The Mega Man eyed the boy and Aki. "You two are coming, too."

"If Model W is already affecting him..." Model X said nervously. "... these Preons can go Maverick any time now...!"

Vince slammed his right palm into his forehead, making a rather audible smacking sound as he groaned. "Well that's just great...!" he said irritably. His patience had finally waned. They had come this far, and now they had to turn back?! But Vent was right. It was too risky to bring the civilians further. "Now I've got a question. Is Chiba even going to let us waltz out of here?"

Haku was rubbing his head and then Vent put his arm around him.

"BACK OFF!" he shouted as he shoved Vent back as hard as he could.

Reala looked back and decided to let the 'experts' deal with it. She merely checked her rifle as she continued down the hall. The civilians of Giga City seemed to be unaffected severely by Model W but the few seen so far seem to be loosing their sanity... Not severe, but slowly...

Hiruzen seemed unaffected majorly so far. Same goes for the Preons.

"Well, it depends on only whether or not you'll be back soon." Chiba's voice blared over the radio. "You'll have to find a way out though. The tide got high enough that opening the elevator doors is a little too dangerous to existence here. Do that and the very fabric of time shatters. Dear god man, you don't wanna shatter tim-~KZZT~" it was cut off by a large slam.

Reala payed no attention to the transmission and merely walked.

"Well, I'm going... I would like to properly take care of Chiba and go home... Murder or not of the Reploid..." Reala said.

"It is not wise to separate from the Mega Men. They can provide more assistance not to mention their Biometals have prior information on Chibi Musashi and combat experience. The have me." Delta said. Reala almost stopped as Delta said the last sentence but she continued on.

"Well, okay. We don't have a proper exit in either 25 hours, or the emergency exit." Aki said as she flipped the page again.

Caught off-guard, Vent hit the floor with the shove. Albeit unharmed, Vent glared at the Watchman with a violent expression...

"... That does it."

The ZX-Saber ignited brightly as the Mega Man rose back to his feet, his eyes still focused on the Watchman. His patience had already worn thin at this point, but the shove was the last straw.

"... Vince. I hate to ask, but I want you to take care of these guys. I'm sick and tired of everyone else slowing me down; I'm going to bust Chiba and the Model W right now."

Despite using the word "ask", Vent's stern tone made it clear that was no request. And he would not take "no" for an answer; he had six Biometals with him, and they could all sense the Model W's location. Besides, Model X and Model Z knew this place, so they could both guide him. There was no need for him to bring anyone else along, not even Vince. He was just going to move on and get this over with, before the situation got even worse.

Without looking back, the Mega Man dashed on, taking notice of Reala ahead of him. He would not let her stand in his way either; he would gain the lead, then block her way somehow; risking her exposure to Biometal Model W was entirely out of question.

"Model PX. Megamerge."

Transforming without pause, Vent immediately activated his overdrive, becoming a near invisible silhouette as he passed the girl with a Shadow Dash.

"I'm sorry." He briefly apologized as he leapt into the air, and countless energy kunai rained in the path ahead of the girl...!

"Vent, wait!" the detective yelled out in vain!

"Damnation...!" Model ó's irritated voice echoed! "He's seriously had it...!"

"Model Omicron, what do we do?" Vince asked his partner.

"As much as I want to face Chiba myself, the young Chosen One hasn't given us a choice in the matter," Model ó explained irritably. "We'd better do what he says and get them out of here."

"Tch!" Vince twitched in annoyance. "He's going to hog all the action, is he?" The detective then looked around. How would he handle this situation? He needed to get in contact with the Guardians somehow to at least get some advice... He honestly didn't want to deal with these people, especially considering the dangerous trek back through to the entrance. But wasn't there some sort of jamming? There had to be a way...! There just had to be some sort of insane way to get everyone out safely...

Insane... Vince thought. Perhaps I could egg our insane overlord into throwing me a bone, here.

"Hey, Chiba!" he called out to the intercom. "Are you absolutely sure there isn't another exit in this rustbucket? You know, like a Transerver or something?"

"Vince, I see what you're trying to do but the chances that he'll have some other exit are basically zip," the Biometal sighed.

"My ass you're sorry!" Reala said in her native tongue.

Reala reacted as fast as possible to Vent; she did a quick jump backwards all while she reached up and latched onto Vent's leg with a free arm. She then planted her feet and swung her arm down only to daze the Mega Man, not injure.

"Weeeeeeeeell... There are the original exits from several facilities but the pressure would be INSAAAANE. Any human would be splattered by the INSAAAANE amounts of water, and then the entire city would FLOOOOOOD... INSAAANELY. But you could try and create a hole in the ground near an exit then just exit that way. I expect that you guys can hold your breath for a minute or two." Chiba said.

"Reala, I'd advise you listen to Vent's reasoning before making any critical decisions." Delta said.

"Tch, this Mega Man seems peeved. Maybe it's he who's being affected by Model W! This exact behavior is just what Model W needs to end one person." Reala said as she swung down.

Aki was ignoring the commotion while Haku was still mentally in pain. Hiruzen attempted to think calmly. "We can't leave until we get something or at least make sure this city doesn't have said something..." Hiruzen said. "It's the reason we came to this place."

Billy saw what Vent did and ran off to the back of the room to the Preon.

"Boy, jump, attack, woman, help!" he shouted as fast as he could.

The Preon nodded and swung it's arm up. Aki sighed. This means if the situation doesn't solve itself, she'll have to step into the conflict.

OOC: If you want to ignore my maneuver, have it your way.

-----

With his overdrive still in effect, Vent was untouched by Reala; the girl had grasped only a shadow that vanished in thin air. He was not interested in wasting time with the girl, so he did not even bother looking back. The Mega Man vanished in the next turn, trusting Model P's radar and Model X's knowledge to show him the way in this maze. Hopefully the kunai he threw on the floor previously could stall Reala for a moment...

OOC: Well, it's ignored mainly because they're already on edge with each other.

Vince was irritated with Chiba's answer. Unfortunately, it was the kind of answer he expected..."What in the name of the Sage Trinity would be so important that you would come in here and risk having your souls sucked out of your own bodies when you aren't even equipped to fight here?!" Vince retorted to the Watchman. "Why don't you tell me what it is you need to do and I'll take care of it!?" Vince then noticed Billy run over to the Preon and request its help frantically.

"Now wait just a minute!" Vince turned to the boy and the Mechaniloid. "Don't make this any harder for me than it already is, please!" He paused for a moment. Vine had to think of something. But what? How could he get these people out of here?! And how would he deal with Reala as well?! He irritably turned to the intercom again, furious at the predicament.

"And are you trying to tell me that there aren't any Transervers here at all?! Not even broken and practically unusable ones that, I don't know, simply need an energy boost or something?!"

Hiruzen looked at Vince. "It's a bit of info. I can't reveal anymore... The only ones who could make me talk are the ones you mentioned, the Sage Trinity, and of course, a good man known as 'Level'. Odd codename but... Well, think of it as the Taiyoh equivalent to your Guardian missions. We're not just environmentalists." Hiruzen said as he looked at Haku.

Haku had to be removed from the mission.... This was unavoidable. Haku had already had it up to here with machines; most of the Watchmen have, but they still needed them. Hiruzen rubbed his chin. "Haku needs to go, but where I'm going, I won't need to fight at all." Hiruzen said, trying to hold back as much info as possible.

"We're only defendin' ourselves! Your other guy is the one who attacked the other Preons an' the woman just now!" Billy said as the Preons booped in agreement.

"There aaaaaaaaaaaare, but they go to specific locations... The terminal is busted sooooo just stepping on it will send you. These locations...? Random. Could be in Taiyoh... Could be 300 feet below ground... I did a loooooot since Neo Tokyo fell... Not to mention the auto cucumber totally prevents Men from traveling. Sage Women only such as myself. It's for... Uh, the War... Yeah... Go with that..." Chiba said as things were getting rather trashy on his side; loud bangs were heard.

---

Reala scoffed. The ground was covered with the Kunai... No biggie. She tossed the rifle over her shoulder and took a running start; she ran, jumped and ran across the wall for good measure but she soon cleared it. Vent was obviously letting his emotion get the better of him to her... However, she wasn't sure what exactly he planned to do.

"Tsk, losing her's gonna be trouble...!"

Vent had predicted the kunai would only stall Reala long enough to give him a head start. Model P's sensors detected the girl in pursuit without needing to look back, and mapped out the surroundings directly into his brain in real time; however, aside from showing him the doors, corridors and possible enemies, there was no way of knowing the actual path to the Model W. Though he was not optimistic, he still nurtured hopes of finding a map somewhere...

... But right now, he needed to elude Reala.

"Judging from the outside, the tunnel to Gimialla Mine should be somewhere in the lower levels." Model X informed as the Chosen One dashed across the straight segments. "I'm sreaming my memory files of this layout through Model P's radar. This should serve as a guideline."

"Thanks, guys...!" Making use of this precious resouce, Vent quickly took a turn to the nearest door, with hopes of locking it from the other side...

"Urrrgh...!" Vince gripped the sides of his hair in utter frustration and pulled, almost ripping several follicles out! These idiots were still keeping secrets! It was Shien and Armani all over again! On top of that, Chiba was spouting utter nonsense! Vince was finally at his wit's end!

"ALL OF YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR BLASTED MINDS!" he yelled! He angrily turned back to the Hiruzen. "You are actively interfering with our mission to destroy Model W, and are putting yourselves in needless danger for information that you won't even disclose to a detective and a Guardian?! Fine! You know what? I don't care! I'm not responsible for your idiocy! I've had to put up with people keeping secrets from us enough now!" he turned away from the Watchmen for a moment and took a deep breath.

"When we get out of here and when we're done with Chiba, I'm going to Legion, and I'm going to find out every bloody detail about your rag-tag band of tree-hugging hypocrites, about Zemura Shien and Price Armani, and about Cordell! And you know what? I'm going to report every single blasted instance of your screw-ups and do whatever is in my legal power to get your insane posse put behind bars for the betterment of society!"

"Vince, calm down," Model ó urged. "This isn't the time for----"

"Shut up, Model Omicron!" Vince lashed back angrily. "We've been doing our best to help in this ongoing war with Model W! But what do we get in return for our efforts?! A kid is forcefully Megamerged, and is heavily injured from fighting a Pseudoroid! Another Chosen One is comatose! A criminal escapes from prison, attacks Vent and Kile, and escapes! Chiba escapes! Model R is stolen! That Skoll guy appeared and complicated things! That Taiyoh chic complicates things! And now the Watchmen are somehow connected to Taiyoh and some guy named 'Level!' And here we are in an underwater city and have no choice but to take orders from a kid who is equally as frustrated as I am! But I can't even follow these orders because nobody wants to actually LEAVE!"

He slammed his fist against the nearest wall. He huffed angrily at this point, and took deep breaths. He turned back to Hiruzen after a moment.

"How good of a mechanic are you?" he asked. The Transervers would be too dangerous if the terminal was busted. But it was the only way to safely get all of them out of there without anyone drowning. Vince couldn't handle all of the civilians himself. And in their current, irrational trains of thought, it would be impossible. The only convenient way would be to Transport them out. So if someone could just repair the terminal, then a destination could be set.

Hiruzen scoffed. "We're both in a Forbidden Zone. We're all in a Forbidden Zone. The reason I'm here was approved by Legion. I have legal reasons to be here. I cannot disclose you this info." Hiruzen said.

"You guys are fuckin' blah blah blaaaahm. Reala and Vent are letting emotions ruin them and now Model W is getting absolutely excited. On top of that, Vince-san is getting erratic, and... Well, terminals here are easy to repair. All you need is a Preon or Aki. They can fix them real good if the task is simple. Calm down people or your mission is bust. Hiruzen, my boy, don't go around giving info like that, Aki and Billy, get outta there with the Mega Men, Vent and Reala, remember your mission, drink milk, stay in school, and say no to drugs." Chiba said before cutting the transmission.

Hiruzen frowned. Chiba was odd... Something was going on at his side, and meanwhile...

------

Reala was chasing Vent whom she could hear further ahead and heard a door open as Vent entered somewhere. Reala stopped as she didn't want the Mega Man diving into something like Chiba. Even if their Biometals had prior experience with Chiba... Reala stopped chasing and thought.

"The Mega Men are good at this... But Vent is too hot-headed... If only I could talk to him normally... As an ally and not as a stupid wannabe soldier..." Reala said to herself, hoping for a response.

"Reala, it's best not to throw insults around, even if he can't hear you. It agitates the mind too much. Trying to talk to him is meaningless, but don't chase after him. Simply try to do your own mission." Delta said.

--------------

Aki and Billy were simply listening to the outsiders bicker with each other and Chiba. "Well, it's all fair to get mad Vince, but we don't want to leave because this is our only home. Those other two, Vent and Reala, was it... They have a mission, so do the two 'Watchmen'... It seems some of you have a common goal. Why not approach things with less aggression?" Aki said as she stretched her arms and yawned afterword.

Haku then fainted and he slid to the ground.

"This should do it."

Using Model HX's swords, Vent shorted out the circuitry running the door. He figured this would at least stall anyone trying to follow him. He could power the door back on later with Model HX's electricity, or if that failed, he could simply break through with Model FX's power. It was not possible that those old doors were sturdier than Ceratanium.

"Remember, Vent. The layout in my memory data is old." Model X warned. "Things such as the tunnels linking the facilities are unaccounted for. And we don't know what else Chiba might have in store for us."

"Well, I don't think too much could've changed." Vent responded as he walked, calming down now that there was no know-it-all scoffing at his actions or attempting to lecture him. "And thanks to the data you guys are feeding me, I know there's only one way to go."

"Leaving Vince behind was reckless." Model Z interceded. "We don't know if he can really protect the others from Chiba... or themselves."

"Well, I tried sticking with them and that just wasn't working." The Chosen One retorted. "They just kept getting in the way. I hate leaving Vince behind like this, but we don't have time to waste with jerks like the Watchmen. Now let's go! We got a Model W to bust!"

The Mega Man moved on, intent on finding the tunnel entrance. He expected to find it in a large room, considering the tunnel radius.

After a moment of pause, Vince caught his breath. He reflected on what had just been spoken. Chiba himself seemed to be acting oddly.

"Chiba," Model ó spoke. But he couldn't finish. What was happening to his comrade? What was going on?! Was he regaining some of his lost sanity...?!

Vince turned to Hiruzen. "Fine then," Vince told him. "But keep in mind that if --- no, when --- the Model W is destroyed, we don't know what will happen to this place. You've seen the Slither Inc. Control Center! Giga City could end up like that or even worse! If you're that intent on fulfilling a bogus secret mission, then go ahead. I'm not responsible for you or your comrades. If you take too long, you may end up dead. But If you want to die here, then that's your damned decision! Just don't expect anyone to come to your rescue!"

"Vince...!" Model ó tried to protest. "We can't just...!"

"No, Model Omicron, we can. We don't have time to waste on this idiot," Vince replied. He then turned to Aki and Billy. "If this really is your only home, I hope you've prepared for the worst. You've got to get out of here! Listen, we can find you all a home. The Guardians can help you out. Please, Chiba himself has asked you two to leave. Please, repair the terminal so we can get you out of here safely...!"

The detective glanced toward the other Watchman, who had passed out from the strain of Model W's influence. This was absurd...! He made up his mind; once this mission was over, Vince was going to slug the ever-living hell out of Vent, whether he's Megamerged or not!

"Whatever." Hiruzen said as he examined Haku.

He looked at Haku oddly before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small device. He switched it on and examined it. He stopped.

"This is my home and I'm prepared to die for the kingdom but since he asked so nicely, might as well leave. Billy, get your coat, tie your Velcro shoes, and take what you need." Aki said before she grabbed a newspaper shirt and placed it over her normal clothes. She stepped into the center of the room as she waited for Billy, revealing she had an exposed cybernetic augmentation on her leg.

Reala stopped and looked around. Delta recognized where they are based on data from Taiyoh...

"We're close to the elevator leading up to the Control Room." Delta said.

Reala sighed. She had to calm down. "Mega Man Vent... I hate to ask this but could we stop the stupid bickering we managed to start and work? I'm not going to sit back and do nothing as a Model W is loose, and you won't either..." Reala shouted out hoping to at least make things less uneasy.

Back at the main area... Aki knelt down and turned around. Billy ran up after grabbing a pen and pencil and jumped onto Aki's back, holding on for a piggy back ride.

"Let's go. The Golden Sun shall shine over all, the land will sparkle brightly..." Aki said, speaking part of an old nursery rhyme of Taiyoh history started by the founder.

"... Through it's darkest squall, we'll stand tall and hold Men of Truth tightly." Billy finished as he took a deep breath.

Aki giggled. She looked at Vince and Hiruzen. "Masato is Chiba's last name and means 'Man of Truth', almost like he named himself after this nursery rhyme." Aki said as she grabbed Billy's legs and made sure they wrapped around her back.

She began walking and spoke in Taiyoh's language; the Preons nodded and happily lost their tension and started bouncing along slowly. They were finally moving closer to the Gimialla Mines as a whole... Hiruzen grabbed Haku and hoisted him over his shoulder and began carrying him and took one final glance at the device he held before shutting it off and placing it back in his pocket and he began walking.

"To get to where Chiba sensei is, you have to pass through every other facility." Aki said, as if she started a tour.

Vent was all too eager to simply ignore Reala's pleas and move on. However, now that he had a moment to cool his head, he felt that would be a jerk move. Same way with just saying "no". And obviously telling Reala about Model W's dangers would not deter the girl any.

It was then that a thought struck his mind.

"... Tell you what." The Mega Man finally responded. "If you can get through that door and catch up with me, I'll let you tag along."

With the challenge posed, the Chosen One rushed on to the elevator. Even if Reala somehow managed to open the door or break through, he still had several other tricks in store...

Vince blinked; these people were crazy. Yet the detective got a sense of Chiba's 'other side' from the words spoken by Aki and Billy. A more compassionate and charismatic side. Model ó had already hinted towards Chiba's previous, less-insane persona. It must have been like the Biometal had said; the years of war and tension had probably run its course on the old-model Reploid. Model W would have only made things worse.

Vince walked over to Haku and picked him up, dragging him behind with one of his arms braced over Vince's right shoulder. The detective Mega Man followed after Aki and Billy. However, after he took a few steps, he stopped and turned to face Hiruzen again.

"You'd better not die," he said with a glare. "For Kiriyama's sake."

OOC: Hiruzen did pick up Haku, but I'll edit my post.

-------

Hiruzen looked at Vince with an almost glare-like "yes" look... But then he paused. "... Where is Kiriyama? He said he'd be back and we waited all night..." he said as he scratched his head...

He walked on entering the maze-area of Tianna Camp where Vince and Reala were. Aki and the piggyback-riding Billy rushed to get ahead, giggling and the Preons hopped around following Vince.

"If any rogue Robots pops up, I'll protect you, with my Copy Chip." Aki said to Billy as they walked forwards.

-------------

Delta started up again. "The limited time we have here is-" "Shut up Delta." Reala cut him off. "I know what you're going to say but ignoring him won't work... Might as well follow the Mega Mouse around." Reala said, checking for her rifle.

She approached the door where Vent went in noticing it was different than the other doors; the door itself was slightly rusted and covered in moss and was recently exposed. Either it was Vent, or somebody else was in the maze. She quickly exercised her wrist and swung a fist back, before slamming it directly into the door. The old door cracked as the force of Reala's punch strained the rusted, old metal. If she were a normal human, both the door and her fist would have broke.

"Suggestions: 1: Follow Vent, remove from mission. 2: Follow Vent, join. 3: Find alternate path. 4: Arrest Mega Men. Or 5: Leave facility, call for backup." Delta said.

Right now, Reala had the AI set from it's normal settings so it only provided suggestions. She took a step back to the very wall, and pushed off in a semi-run in the small hallway and gave her hardest possible punch to the door. It broke and her hand was sore from the two punches. She placed her foot on the door and pushed in the broken metal, stepping into the room. Vent was located in the almost-straight hallway leading to the elevator to the HUB of Tianna Camp.

OOC: The first maze area before the Save point room splitting into two different paths in Tianna Camp.